At least one of Donald Trump’s former lawyers appears to have a pretty low opinion of the newest defence that the ex-president’s legal team is trying out for size. Ty Cobb, former White House counsel, was speaking on CNN when he was asked about a whirlwind Sunday morning media tour embarked upon by John Lauro, one of Mr Trump’s currently defence attorneys. On several shows across the major TV networks, Mr Lauro displayed the Trump camp’s newest excuse for the former president’s efforts to pressure various Republican officials to interfere with state or federal election processes on his behalf, including his vice president, Mike Pence. In multiple interviews, Mr Lauro used the same word — “aspirational” — to describe Mr Trump’s urgings for Mr Pence to attempt to halt the Senate’s process certifying the 2020 election that he did to describe a phone call in which the former president was heard urging Georgia officials to “find” thousands of votes for him that did not exist. Mr Cobb was asked by CNN’s Erin Burnett whether there was any First Amendment defence that would come into play when a politician or elected official requests that a subordinate violate the law. “Not at all. I’m not aware of the ‘aspirational’ defence or the free speech defence to a gang leader saying to two of his subordinates, ‘I need you two to please rob a bank for me,’ and they do it. That’s aspirational but it leads to a crime and that’s exactly what Trump did with Pence,” Mr Cobb responded. His analysis appeared to poke a hole cleanly through the argument that the Trump team has made all weekend — that merely encouraging a crime to be committed is not an offence. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of the 78 criminal charges that the former president is accused of, including the four related to the 2020 election. But the “aspirational” defence appears to be the closest the Trump team has come to acknowledging that the actions the president requested, if carried out, would have been blatantly illegal. DoJ special counsel Jack Smith has argued that Mr Trump conspired to violate the constitutional rights of millions of Americans when he worked to change the results of the 2020 election even after losing all of his court challenges and being told, repeatedly, by his own expert authorities that his claims of election fraud were false. The ex-president is separately charged in two other cases involving classified documents retained from the White House as well as his own hush payments to a porn star in 2016. Despite his professed innocence, his lawyers have said that they expect more charges related to the 2020 election to be handed down in Georgia. His latest criminal indictment has been understood by numerous experts to have been engineered by the Justice Department for speed in the hopes that it will play out, one way or another, before the 2024 presidential election concludes. Mr Trump remains the dominant candidate in the Republican presidential primary. Read More Trump lawyer calls Trump request to Pence for Jan 6 ‘aspirational’ Chris Christie thinks this ex-Trump aide has already flipped Pence says he's now met polling, donor qualifications for first Republican debate Ron DeSantis replaces campaign manager as 2024 bid falters Gavin Newsom rips DeSantis terms for debate: ‘What a joke’ Trump-appointed judge orders Southwest attorneys to take ‘religious liberty training’ from right-wing group

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We can all agree that the pigtailed cowgirl or the smudge-faced Joker costume is all a bit overplayed on Halloween. Are they classic? Of course. But creative? No. Each year, planning for Halloween is like preparing for a middle school dance. There’s the overly-enthusiastic people who spend months drafting ideas, buying props, and purchasing outfits until the picture in their head becomes a reality. Then there’s the not-so-thrilled ones, who dread Halloween and leave their look for the last minute. I’m the latter. Still, both groups are guilty of making one simple mistake: reproducing the same characters and costumes, only to find five or six more of the same costume at every Halloween party. While it can seem nearly impossible to think of an original and unique Halloween costume idea, it’s actually very doable. Here’s how to avoid overdone costumes this Halloween. The key is to abstain from “eleventh hour” looks - princesses, Grease-themed outfits, and even the classic Tom Cruise in Risky Business costume. It’s time to retire these iconic characters, even though they often require minimal thought, and consider something unique instead. There’s always the internal dilemma of not wanting your costume to be too obscure, or else no one will know who you are. Nobody wants to receive uncomfortable blank stares and pity nods when asked about their Halloween costume. For example, I was Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Halloween last year. But because I wasn’t packing a blow-up suit underneath my blue track set, not one person guessed who I was, even though I had a blue nose and chewing gum. Depending on how much you care about people recognising your Halloween costume, there are few things to keep in mind so that you appear original on the spooky holiday. Avoiding unnecessary consumption is beneficial to both your wallet and your costume. If you begin by looking for ideas while shopping, you run the risk of purchasing pieces and props that you’ll never wear again. Steer clear of all Halloween-themed stores until you have an idea, and don’t go looking for inspiration in stores that organise their inventory based on typical Halloween characters. Run through your wardrobe. You don’t have to own eccentric clothing or accessories to use something already in your closet. An old blazer, a button-up shirt, and a pair of suspenders are all perfect for a Peaky Blinders-inspired look. Meanwhile, a flowing white dress and cream-coloured headband is the foundation for Florence Pugh’s finale outfit in Midsommar. If there’s absolutely nothing from your personal collection that could work as a Halloween costume, I suggest digging through your local thrift store to find one-of-a-kind items you wouldn’t find on the rack of every other retailer. Plus, you can always add something extra to a character or costume idea to make it more personalised. If you have a favourite film and found an item that can easily become a costume, try to incorporate elements of the movie or character into your costume so that it connects to the overarching theme without being so basic. For example, take the Barbie movie. Director Greta Gerwig’s live-action film prompted a pink fad for the summer, so it’s likely you’ll be spotting many people dressed as the Mattel doll for Halloween this year. While it’s more than fine to be dressed as everyone’s current obsession, try embodying a different version of Barbie - Weird Barbie, President Barbie, or Mermaid Barbie. This way, you can fuse easily recognisable elements of the iconic doll, like her blonde tresses or cursive “Barbie” branding, while still wearing something other than a white tank top and hot pink mini skirt. It’s okay to think outside of the box and show up in a costume that’s not automatically recognised by Halloween partygoers. It can even be a great conversation starter and you’ll feel more triumphant when someone does recognise your Halloween costume. Remeber, if model and Halloween superstar Heidi Klum can manage to shock each year with an unexpected and original look, then so can you. Read More Halloween decorations 2023: From Ghosts to Jack-O-Lanterns. Here are some idea’s for the spooky season Jellycat’s new Halloween cuddly toys have landed in time for spooky season Heidi Klum hints at her ‘really extra’ 2023 Halloween costume: ‘It’s going to be good’ 11 best kids’ Halloween outfits that will scare and delight 9 best horror stories to read this Halloween and beyond Kourtney Kardashian’s skeletons and other celebrity inspiration for Halloween

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Manchester City are back in midweek action as they take on Sevilla in the Uefa Super Cup this evening. Pep Guardiola’s men triumphed in the their Champions League final against Inter Milan back in June, securing a treble in the process, and setting up this one-off match against the Europa League winners. Sevilla are City’s opponents tonight after the Spanish outfit won the Europa Leagu, yet again, by beating Jose Mourinho’s Roma. They are well versed in Super Cup games having lost four of these matches of the last nine seasons while tonight’s game will be City’s first appearance in the Super Cup. The Champions League winners have a second chance in three games to collect some silverware after they were beaten on penalties by Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley 10 days ago. In the interim they got their Premier League season off to a wonderful start with a victory 3-0 over Burnley and will hope to return to Manchester with another trophy under their belt. Follow all the action and find out the latest odds as Manchester City take on Sevilla in the Super Cup: Read More Super Cup is crucial to Man City’s season but it’s not about the trophy Kevin De Bruyne facing up to four months out and may require surgery Kevin De Bruyne amid Man City trio left out of Uefa Super Cup squad